The Girl Scouts have a long tradition of building girls’ courage, confidence, and character through field trips, sports clinics, community service projects and cultural exchanges. They hike and camp, improve neighborhoods, protect the planet; they learn about the traditions and skills of older generations and put them to use. Like MountainWise, the Girl Scouts know that teaching valuable life lessons through our traditions and heritage, will enable girls to grow up to be strong, healthy women.
On January 27th, the Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont Board approved a Tobacco-Free policy for all places and properties where Peaks to Piedmont events occur. The policy will ban the use of smoking and tobacco products, including smoking devices, chewing tobacco, snuff, and electronic or vapor cigarettes. These tobacco products will not be allowed to be used in any properties owned or rented by the Peaks to Piedmont division, including camp properties, service centers, or vehicle where Girl Scouts events are occurring. Furthermore, all Girl Scouts events will be required to be tobacco free.
The Tobacco-Free policy will include smoking cessation programs for Girl Scouts employees, as well as educational programs for seasonal, year round, and volunteer staff. The policy will go into effect on March 12, 2015.
This policy will protect all young Girl Scouts and their leaders from the dangers of second hand smoke. It will give parents and Scout leaders the opportunity to start a conversation about the health risks associated with tobacco in a comfortable way. This early education about the dangers of smoking and second hand smoke will enable the girls to make healthy choices for themselves as they get older, making the healthy choice the easy choice.
We know that tobacco-free places to make it easier for people to choose not to use tobacco. We applaud the Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont Board for making the healthy choice for their girls.
Photo courtesy of girlscoutsp2p.org